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Forget about resuming those old divisional rivalries with the Oilers, Flames and Canucks, because it looks like the Winnipeg Jets future regional foes will include the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators.

As the Winnipeg Sun first reported last month, the Jets, who will play in the Southeast Division in 2011-12 after moving from Atlanta, are expected to move to the Central Division of a realigned NHL in 2012-13.

The Jets will play up to six games a year against the Blackhawks, Wild, Predators, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and possibly Columbus Blue Jackets, but will likely only play Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto twice each year.

In late June the Sun laid out a realignment scenario, which is being discussed by NHL governors, that will feature two divisions in each conference, with either eight or seven teams in each division.

“The realignment will almost certainly take place,” Leipold told the radio station. “There aren’t any people saying ‘No, let’s not do it.’ It’s been teed up by the league and it would be a four-division league.

“I am all in favour of that. I think that is a grand slam home run, hat trick for our team.”

Leipold would say that, given that his team currently plays in a division with Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Colorado — not exactly travel friendly or filled with natural rivalries for a team in Minnesota.

For the Jets, it’s a different matter.

Ideally they would have more games every year against the Western Canadian teams, and there will be some disappointment with the proposed alignment. But it’s hard to imagine fans getting too upset. After all, it beats not having an NHL team at all, right?

Perhaps the Jets will get lucky still. The Blue Jackets are the wild card in the realignment plan, as they could still move to the Eastern Conference and make room for the Colorado Avalanche to join the Central. That would probably sit well with Winnipeg fans.

The other Western Conference division would be the Pacific and it would feature the Canucks, Oilers, Flames, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and possibly the Avalanche.

It’s believed both the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings want to move to the Eastern Conference, though it’s possible only the Red Wings will get their wish.

The teams would play each team in their division five or six times and would play every other team in the league twice, meaning Jets fans will get to see every team in the league at least once after next season.

The top four teams from each division would make the playoffs.

BLUE BUMMERS: It sure hasn’t been a great start to the CFL season for some former members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers organization.

Imagine how hot the seats feel in Saskatchewan for GM Brendan Taman, head coach Greg Marshall and offensive co-ordinator Doug Berry after the Roughriders fell out of the starting gate and lost back-to-back home games while averaging 40.5 points against per game.

Or how about our old friend Khari Jones, who in his first year as offensive co-ordinator has led the Hamilton Ticats to a measly 26 points on the way to consecutive losses?

Meanwhile, somewhat shockingly, the Bombers are 2-0 and so are the Edmonton Eskimos, who are proving an exception to the rule.

Their new coach Kavis Reed, who is looking like a genius so far, was with the Bombers last year.

MUSICAL NOTE: An impressive standing for Winnipeg band The Weakerthans in a recent article in Sports Illustrated. The magazine laid out the top-40 greatest sports songs of all-time and The Weakerthans came in at No. 19 with their 2007 song Tournament of Hearts. It’s impressive that a band from Winnipeg could earn such recognition, even moreso when you consider the subject matter — curling.

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